Lightning In A Search Engine

By Andrew Wetzler

Andrew Wetzler co-founded MoreVisibility in 1999. Beginning in 2003 he began writing a monthly newsletter article that shed light on the evolution of Internet Marketing with a focus on helping sales organizations prioritize their inititiatives and make the best use of their resources. 

Lightning In a Search Engine is a compilation of those articles. 

This book will be a great refresher for those who have lived and worked in in Digital Marketing over the past twenty years and a fantastic historical perspective for anyone looking to brush up on how Search, Social, Analytics and Web Design / Usability have blossomed into a mature industry 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Digital South Florida, Inc.
• Release date: May 30, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393931386

Andrew Wetzler

Andrew Wetzler has been involved in Sales and Marketing since 1983. His first sales experience was during college when he started a business selling coupon book ads to businesses in New Orleans while attending Tulane University. After graduation, he went to work in the field of Numismatics and spent the next few years selling rare gold and silver coins to collectors via advertisements in the WSJ and Tele-Sales. Next, he wrote a course on establishing an effective inside sales operation for the American Management Association and taught it for seven years in the mid-nineties, while concurrently consulting and training organizations on those same topics. In 1999, sensing that the Internet was a game / life changing technology, Andrew began experimenting with Search Engine Optimization and gauging interest among his current clients. Shortly thereafter, he co-founded MoreVisibility with Dennis Pushkin. 2019 marks MoreVisibility’s 20th anniversary. The company continues to be recognized as industry leaders in Search, Interactive Marketing, Analytics, Social Media and Design / Development. Andrew writes and speaks broadly on Digital Marketing and has a particular focus on the nuances of B2B and Manufacturing organizations that are committed to re-aligning their internal Sales and Marketing teams to fully leverage the opportunities that Digital presents.

Book preview

Paid Search and Paid Social Should Be Utilized and Tweaked to Profitability

More so than ever, and particularly within the Social Media channels, brands need to pay to participate. In earlier days, Organic posts on Facebook and Instagram could garner tremendous visibility, but that affect is greatly diminished, especially with folks that you don’t previously have a relationship with.

It’s a pretty safe bet that most organizations are utilizing or have attempted Paid Search / Paid Social in the past. For some it’s been an ongoing effort. For others, particularly those with more obfuscated sales and attribution scenarios or highly competitive industries, the results have been tepid, the cost has been high and consistency of running campaigns has likely lacked as well.

As with all other aspects of Digital Marketing, the pace of change over the past 20 years has been incredible. My monthly newsletter articles that follow (in this book) have numerous references to advertising program introductions by the Search Engines and Social Media channels along the way.

Connect With Your Clients via Non-Digital Channels

The rationale for the launch of MoreVisibility back in 1999 was the notion that Search was a much more intelligent tool for connecting sellers with buyers than anything which had come before it.

Why spend all day pounding the phones or sending out loads of direct mail to identify  individuals (B-B or B-C ) who were interested in what you had to say, when you could instead create a website and show up in the Search results anytime someone looked online for the product or service you are offering?

This certainly holds true today. In fact, we all understand that the ability to precisely target (and re-target) continues to evolve. That said, it’s valuable to maintain an historical appreciation of the role that personal communication plays and apply more of it to our sales and marketing efforts today.

Prospective and current customers, especially in B-B, appreciate being recognized as unique individuals with needs particular to them. While it’s possible to learn about your customers through online interactions, the amount of knowledge and trust gained by speaking with them on the phone and meeting with them in person (when economically and geographically feasible) is unmatched.

Build time into your schedule to reach out to your clients via phone or in person. Take them to lunch and meet their co-workers; even if it requires travel to accomplish. Not only will you have happier, more engaged customers, you’ll develop a greater understanding of their business and challenges, while differentiating yourself from your competitors who may be knocking at their door.

LinkedIn Is Unparalleled for Cultivating New (B-B) Relationships

LinkedIn provides targeting to reach people at businesses that far surpasses anything else that exists. A few recommendations to consider:

●  The paid versions of LinkedIn are much more robust than the free one. Non-paid accounts are limited in terms of who you can see and how many folks you’re able to reach out to. The monthly cost should be easily offset by the access to decision makers that exist...if the time is invested to learn and work it.

●  In addition to connecting and communicating with prospects, LinkedIn provides a platform for individuals and companies to brand themselves as thought leaders in their industries. That can occur through publishing content (multiple types) through the LinkedIn platform and directing it toward established connections or industry related groups that people join.

●  Company pages should be built out. In addition to furthering credibility and becoming a promotion vehicle, recruiting opportunities can also be leveraged.

●  If you utilize a service that pinpoints companies who are visiting your website (visitor tracking data), then you can feed those companies into LinkedIn and remarket to those visitors.

Commitment to Learning

The one constant of the Internet and Digital Marketing is (and has been) the pace of change. Reading through my monthly articles, if nothing else, the introduction of new channels, tactics and rules of the game is (and has been) astounding.

It’s one of the reasons that Digital Marketing agencies have flourished as the amount of skill sets and resources required to stay on top of all of the changes is gigantic. That said, it’s incumbent on Digital Marketers within companies, regardless of whether they’re working with an agency to keep a close eye on what’s going on, get Google certified (Analytics & Ads) if possible and continue to follow the industry evolution as closely as possible.

Adoption of New Techniques

Closely aligned with a commitment to learning is the notion that with change comes new opportunities that ought to be vetted and explored. Getting into Beta programs if you are able is an excellent way to derive a competitive advantage. Those programs are usually reserved for very large advertisers who are working with the engines and social channels directly or through agencies who have those relationships.

Whether it’s newly introduced advertising options in the Social Media channels, new reports that can be generated through Google Analytics, etc. there’s a definite competitive edge to be gained by keeping abreast of the latest opportunities.

Not everything new will work for every company and sometimes, new Beta programs never make it into actual adoption, but the opportunity to experiment with new offerings should be taken advantage of.

The caveat to this section is that there’s no rationale for focusing on the latest and greatest that come along if you aren’t already handling the fundamentals of SEO, SEM and Analytics well.

If you have any feedback on the book or anything else you’d like to discuss, please email me: [e-mail]. Thank you.

April 2003

Hello, my name is Andrew Wetzler. As the president of MoreVisibility I want to welcome you to our new monthly publication. I know that many of you have yet to reap the rewards and receive the benefits of increased qualified traffic and sales from proper search engine marketing. This is the reason that I'd like to personally invite you to give our office a call so that we can show you just how valuable our services are for your business.

If you'd like an updated report on your current search engine positions, 

please click here.

We're here to increase your traffic every day! 1-800-787-0497

SEARCH ENGINE TIP OF THE MONTH: Invest in Free Google Traffic

To date, Google has not gone the route of monetizing their database positions. Unlike MSN, Yahoo, Lycos, etc. there are no Paid Inclusion programs for fast-trac entry into Google.

This means that positions in the Google engine are somewhat challenging to attain, yet incredibly valuable. What it also means is that if you aren't enjoying satisfactory positions, then proactive steps should be taken to get there. On a macro level, Google has two requirements. One is that your site is well positioned within the other major engines and directories. The second is that your site needs to be crawlable by the Google spiders. Here's where the investment comes into play. Both of these steps are usually attainable, but each requires a well defined strategy. Furthermore, there is typically some effort / investment required as well. If you would like to learn more, please e-mail me and I will be happy to discuss it with you in greater detail.

SPOTLIGHT CLIENT: OmahaSteaks

Gourmet beef company Omaha Steaks inked a deal with MoreVisibility.com to provide search engine positioning key words for OmahaSteaks.com. Terms of the contract call for Omaha Steaks to receive 40 keywords to direct Web surfers to the site to purchase steaks and meat.

We began a small pilot program for OmahaSteaks.com and based on the initial results, we've been engaged to do further search engine optimization, says Andrew Wetzler, president of MoreVisibility.com. The company added more than 40 keywords to focus on the wide variety of products OmahaSteaks.com offers customers around the world.

Survey Question: How has traffic from Search Engines impacted your business?

We hear all kinds of stories that highlight the growing importance of Search Engines to most businesses. Please let us know the affects that you have experienced. How does the quality of search traffic compare to other traffic that you are receiving?

Share your insights and (with your approval), we may include your results in our next newsletter. Please email your thoughts to: [e-mail].

Question: Will search engine marketing help my businesses, really?

If there was a shopping mall packed with people only looking for your products and/or services, would you put your store there? Of course you would.

Think of the search engines like a shopping mall with a directory. If you're looking for power tools, then you'll look on the directory for the stores that sell power tools. If you're seeking businesses to promote your software to, then you want to be in front of companies who are seeking your type of solution. Your customers use the search engines just like a shopping mall directory. If you want those customers to buy your products/services then you need to be listed in the directory. But here's the catch... search engines will bring you customers from all over the nation or the world. Now that's some directory! So, to answer the original question.... YES, search engine marketing will help your business, really!!! If you'd like an updated report on your current search engine positions, please click here. 

Yes, of course.... It's Free!

MoreVisibility never charges a fee to speak or consult with you about how our search engine marketing programs can increase your website traffic. With over 400 clients served worldwide in all areas of business and with very different markets and budgets, we know we can help you. Let us show you how easy it is to get started and how intelligent search engine marketing will bring more customers to your door, every day. Call us at 1-800-787-0497 or send me an email.

MoreVisibility

Wachovia Plaza

925 South Federal Highway, Suite 750

Boca Raton, FL 33432 USA

Phone: [phone]/ Fax: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]  

May 2003

When we started MoreVisibility nearly four years ago, we were early entrants in a dynamic and untamed field. With the dot com boom and bust, many were skeptical that online marketing (including Search Engine Marketing) had a future. I think we’re seeing proof of concept. Along with the rest of the online community, the search engine marketing environment has matured impressively over the past few years and continues to grow. We appreciate the opportunity to participate in its evolution.

Here is a link to an excellent article from Business Week (May 2) that talks about the impressive and sustained growth of the e-business sector.

From time to time, we take the opportunity to present our clients with reduced fees for certain services. We’ve found it to be very effective at helping initiate long term relationships. You may have seen an e-mail from us last week. Here are the high points:

10% off all Platform One, Fixed Rate Programs initiated by May 30th.

Special Terms: 50% due at start and 50% due on July 1, 2003.

If you would like to brush up on the details, please call 800-787-0497 or e-mail your contact info to: [e-mail]

In last month's issue many of our readers were interested in an updated report on their site's current placement in the search engines. For more info, click here.

We're here to increase your traffic every day! 1-800-787-0497

Industry Acquisitions Continue to Dominate Discussions

July 2003

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We are fortunate to be associated with an industry that is on everyone’s radar screen and that is growing impressively.

The evolution of the Yahoo’s and the Overture’s to center stage of business news is the most convincing example yet that online marketing represents the way an increasing amount of business will take place in future years.

As you may know, Yahoo acquired Overture on July14th for $1.63 billion. This is a follow-up to the Overture acquisitions of Alta Vista and Fast and the Yahoo pick-up of Inktomi.

From a business perspective, not only is it vital to be a participant in this marketplace, but it really helps if you know what you’re doing. As the cost of online traffic continues to rise, it has become increasingly important to convert a statistically significant number of your visitors.

We strive to listen to our clients and help them to accomplish more online. We have come to realize the importance of the Customer Experience, once a visitor arrives on your website. What we’re learning is that most Customer Experiences are not as successful as they could be and that it is contributing to diminished results.

We have developed a new service that we believe will help you raise your website results to the next level. Please read about our Customer Experience Assessment below.

Lastly, our Technology Manager, Joe Laratro and I will be attending the Search Engine Strategies conference in San Jose, CA on August 18-21. If you are planning to be there, we would like the opportunity of meeting you. I will also be speaking on the subject:

Balancing Organic and Paid Listings. We hope you are able to attend the presentation.

Letter from the President

August 2003

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Having just returned from the Search Engine Strategies conference in San Jose, CA, I thought I would share a few observations:

The marketing dollars flowing into search engines continues to escalate. All indications are that 2004 will be an incredible growth year for this form of online advertising.

Most search engine are rolling out increasingly sophisticated programs, both on the optimized and paid placements sides. For example:

AskJeeves has recently introduced new search technology through its acquisition of Teoma that is being very well received in the search community. An article in last week's Wall Street Journal floated the idea that the quality of the search results had usurped Google's.

Both Google and Overture have introduced Contextual marketing programs. This means that ads are beginning to appear on content related sites (like newspapers), with search results on the side of the page, that are relevant to the topic of the article being displayed.

Google's co-founder, Sergey Brin spoke. Highlights of his speech include that Google remains committed to tweaking their crawler-based search technology. He also noted that he doesn't anticipate Google introducing any sort of Paid Inclusion model, as he feels that organic results and paid advertising need to be clearly differentiated.

Google threw an entertaining party, called the Google Dance. It took place in a field, adjacent to their office complex. In addition to food, drinks and a DJ, they trucked in a bunch of sofas, bean bag chairs and ping pong tables. It sorta felt like we were back in college for the evening.

I hope you have a great Labor Day and a fantastic 4th Quarter!

Make Search Pay, Capture Each Prospect

September 2003

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In the early days of Search Engine Marketing, everybody seemed to focus on obtaining positions. A breadth of strong positions across the engines enabled an organization to be on the leading edge of Search. Many companies gained a significant strategic advantage by becoming proficient in website optimization.

Strong rankings translated into untold new business. And, since a very small percentage of the traffic was actually monetized by the engines (most traffic was free), it was a financial coup for savvy marketers.

The landscape today is dramatically different. Positions, instead of being the focal point are a means to an end. In many instances, companies today can't afford to be in top positions. That's because top positions can now be acquired through a variety of paid channels, and the competitive environment has blossomed.

The outcome is that greater attention is being paid to traffic delivered. In fact, there is often more traffic available than an organization can pay for. Traffic delivery channels have evolved and the cost of traffic has increased steadily.

What does all this mean? A few thoughts come to mind:

1. It’s important to be a player in the Search space, as the impact can be incredibly favorable to an organization. Your competitors are focused on Search.

2. Like any other form of Direct Marketing, it's vital to craft an intelligent strategy. Understand the different paths of entry, figure out a budget and an appropriate game plan can be worked out ....

... We can help.

3. Companies should increase their resolve to capture the contact information of a higher percentage of the individuals who visit their site. It's a lot easier to justify paying for traffic, if the flow is causing good things to happen and a database is being developed.

4. The beauty of Search is that the prospect is finding you. Figure out which prospects you want and go get them. Then, once they find their way to your website, make every effort to get them to identify themselves and agree to stay in touch with you.

Use Keywords to Target with Laser-Like Precision

October 2003

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Who would have thought that the profession of Marketing would evolve to the point where it is possible to pinpoint your target audience in a perfectly scientific manner? No more guessing at who may be interested in what you have to promote.

Keyword driven search traffic presents an unparalleled opportunity to segment and pursue those individuals who are in the market for a particular product or service. Think about it, even a relatively new phenomena like Opt-In Email pales in comparison. With e-mail programs, there is still a tremendous amount that is unknown about the person you are targeting. When someone conducts a search through a Search Engine, they are making a clear-cut statement about their interest in whatever it is that they're searching for.

Under the scope of Search Engine Marketing, it is also possible to drill down from broad words to considerably narrower ones. This is significant considering that an increasing percentage of Search Engine traffic is being delivered on a Cost-per-Click basis. It's also important from the standpoint of boosting conversions when a visitor arrives at your website. The narrower the search term, the more highly qualified the individual, the greater the likelihood that the person will take a desired action step. Allocate the time to discover actual search patterns for your keywords; it can have a tremendously beneficial impact on your ultimate ROI.

Often overlooked ingredients in a successful campaign are the Titles and Descriptions that accompany any search result. The more refined the wording, the greater the click-thru rate will be. We've found that energy invested in crafting the best possible Titles and Descriptions is very worthwhile. Study the wording that your competitors are using. This will be valuable in arriving at the angle that makes sense for your business.

Lastly, results will be enhanced when you send the searcher to an internal page that addresses the subject matter of the keyword. Not only will this have a positive impact on conversion rates, but it will also help from a rankings standpoint. The stronger the correlation between the keyword and the destination page, the better the ranking that will occur.

Intelligent keyword selection is a vital component of a successful Search Engine Marketing initiative.

Refine Your Google Strategy

November 2003

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It would be hard to think of a company that has more successfully built a brand and a loyal following than Google. Their market share is equally impressive (more than 50% of all searches are producing a result with Google powered data). Not only is there a tremendous degree of mystique about their product (the search results they display), but there is a widely held assumption their algorithm is the preeminent model for organizing the content of the Internet.

Although I don't pretend to be capable of understanding the nuances of Google's algorithmic formula, I am prepared to shed light on how an organization can make heads or tails of the situation and develop an effective strategy to gain a presence on Google.

Let's start with the fact that on any search result, there are only 10 spots in the top ten and legions of companies would like to be represented there. Also keep in mind, there doesn't seem to be any correlation between the size of a company and their ability to rank favorably within the Google database results. This tends to be incredibly frustrating to deep-pocketed organizations that haven't been able to break through and gain traction while their smaller competitors are showing up.

What to do?

There are two channels into Google: Natural Search & Paid Placement / AdWords. Both of these should be leveraged to as large a degree as possible for any given site.

Your Web Site Architecture

There is sometimes a trade-off between search-engine-crawler-experience and the user (human) experience. One reason many sites don't rank well within Google is that their spiders are unable to navigate the content of the website. Site structures that embody technologies like Frames and Flash increase the challenges relative to crawling and consequently attaining natural positions.

Take a step back and assess the degree your site addresses user experiences vs. crawler experience. There is no correct ratio here, as long as the correlation between crawl-ability and natural rankings are understood.

AdWords Traffic

The good news is that it's possible to show up in Google search results even when your Web site is not able to get there naturally. This can be accomplished through their AdWords program. Ads appear both at the top and on the right side of any search result.

The drawbacks are (unlike Overture) a willingness to bid top dollar does not ensure a top position & the traffic can be quite expensive, especially for the more competitive keywords.

AdWords differs from Overture in that there is an algorithmic component to the paid listings. A driving factor in the order of the rankings is the click-thru rate. Google places a higher value on ads that people click on, more than others. This translates into an increased significance of the descriptive text that shows up for each listing.

Bottom Line

Although many search engines can deliver qualified traffic to your Web site, and a well- crafted strategy should encompass all of the major ones, Google is the leading player today. Capture your piece of the market share that they can deliver.

MoreVisibility Advisory Services

The search engine arena is incredibly dynamic. Rules change, engines are developing and the importance of staying on top of the environment is critical to success. Our clients are provided with time sensitive guidance and are early entrants into evolving submission channels. Let us explain how we can help you improve your search engine marketing performance. Click here if you would like more information.

Overview of SES Conference

December 2003

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I have just returned from the Search Engine Strategies conference in Chicago and thought it beneficial to share my insights. During my time at the